Washington’s drug problem: Not enough weed

Drug problem: Only a handful of farmers will provide for the entire state’s supply of cannabis (Picture: Wylius)

Washington state does not have enough cannabis to supply its stores when they open next week, according to the state’s Liquor Control Board.

Washington’s cannabis dispensaries are expected to open for business next Tuesday after the state became the second to legalise the drug for recreational use, but the Liquor Control Board expects severe shortages.

15 to 20 licences are expected to be given to retailers next Monday, but only one store in Seattle – the biggest city in Washington – is ready for inspection, while the others will have almost certainly have an insufficient supply of the product.

Only 80 out of the 2,600 people who applied to grow cannabis in 2013 have been granted licences and many of them have yet to harvest their first crop, meaning only a handful of farmers are expected to provide for the state’s retailers.

‘Will there be shortages? The answer to that is yes,’ the Liquor Control Board’s weed chief Randy Simmons told the Associated Press.

Despite teething problems with selling the drug recreationally, a report published by the Drug Policy Alliance last week showed that legalisation had had a hugely positive impact on the state, with an estimated $20million (£12million) in taxes having been raised in the first half of 2014.

Uniform Crime Reporting data published by the FBI also showed that crime had dropped by more than 10 percent, with violent crime down by more than five percent.